Matthew 24:35 / Luke 21:33

1. What Jesus Meant in Matthew 24:35 / Luke 21:33

Jesus says:

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Context: In Matthew 24 and Luke 21, Jesus is speaking about the end times. He is contrasting the temporary nature of creation with the enduring reliability of His promises and teaching.

Meaning: Jesus assures His disciples that everything He has spoken — including His prophecy of the destruction of the Temple, His promises of salvation, and His warnings of judgment — will surely come to pass.

This is not about the mechanics of manuscript preservation or about one Bible translation, but about the certainty and authority of His teaching.

3. Why Applying Matthew 24:35 to Support VPP / TR / KJV-only is Wrong

Misuse of Context

Jesus’ statement is about the permanence and reliability of His teaching, not about a guarantee that one particular manuscript tradition or translation will be perfectly preserved.

He never mentioned Greek manuscripts, the Textus Receptus, or a future English translation.

Historical Reality

The early church did not have a single “perfect” manuscript. The apostles and church fathers quoted from a variety of textual forms (e.g., Septuagint, different NT manuscript families).

If Matthew 24:35 meant a single, perfectly preserved text, we should expect the apostles and early Christians to identify it. They never did.

Contradiction with Transmission Facts

All manuscript traditions (TR, Byzantine, Alexandrian, etc.) have minor variations.

Claiming one text is “perfectly preserved” ignores the evidence of scribal errors, corrections, and natural transmission processes that God allowed.

Theological Overreach

The doctrine of inspiration applies to the original writings (autographs), not to every later copy or translation.

Preservation in Scripture means that God’s Word remains accessible and reliable throughout history, not that one printed edition (TR, 16th century) or one translation (KJV, 17th century) is flawless.

KJV-only Circular Logic

Using Matthew 24:35 to claim the KJV is perfect assumes what it tries to prove:

Premise: God preserved His Word perfectly.

Assumption: The KJV is that perfect preservation.

Conclusion: Therefore the KJV is perfect.

This is not exegesis but circular reasoning.

4. What Matthew 24:35 Really Teaches for Us

The Bible we have — whether in English, Mandarin, Malay, or Greek — faithfully conveys Christ’s words and message.

Despite the differences between manuscripts and translations, the gospel and core teachings of Jesus are preserved and remain trustworthy.

The promise is not about an error-free 17th-century English translation, but about the enduring truth and authority of Christ’s message.

Conclusion:

Matthew 24:35 and Luke 21:33 assure believers of the permanence of Jesus’ teaching and the certainty of His promises. To use these verses to promote Verbal Plenary Preservation, Perfect TR, or KJV-onlyism is a misapplication, because Jesus was not speaking about manuscript traditions or translations. These later doctrines take a spiritual promise and force it into a narrow textual or translation theory that the Bible itself never teaches.